V. QUESTIONS OF CULTURAL CONSTRUCTION
JANUARY 1919—FEBRUARY 1920
122 !)7
ON THE STATE OF LIBRARY AFFAIRS.
DRAFT RESOLUTION OF THE SNK *.
[30 January 1919]

Entrust the Library Department of the People's Commissariat of Enlightenment with publishing monthly and submitting to the SNK brief factual data on the actual implementation of SNK resolutions from 7. VI. 1918² and from 14. I. 1919³ and on the actual expansion of the number of libraries and reading rooms as well as on the growth of book distribution among the population.

Publish the present resolution.

¹ On 12 January 1919, Lenin raised the question "On Library Affairs" at a session of the SNK and secured the following decision: "Appoint Comrade Pokrovsky to deliver a report on the state of library affairs and on the actual implementation of the SNK resolution on the introduction of the American and Swiss system by 11 January 1919" (SNK Protocol No. 241). The SNK heard this report on 14 January 1919 and adopted a series of concrete measures for the implementation of the reorganization of library affairs, and entrusted the People's Commissariat of Enlightenment with "establishing periodic reports from all local institutions and submitting a report to the Soviet of People's Commissars in two weeks."

On 30 January 1919, in connection with the discussion of a report by A. P. Kudryavtsev, head of the Petrograd Library Department of the Narkompros, on the state of library affairs, the SNK adopted the resolution presented here (SNK Protocol No. 252 from 30 January 1919).

² At the SNK session of 7 June 1918, based on reports by M. Reisner and M. Pokrovsky, the "Statute on the Socialist Academy of Social Sciences" was under consideration. In connection with the discussion of this question, the Narkompros was taken to task for "insufficient attention to the proper organization of library affairs in Russia" and was instructed to "adopt the most energetic measures for the centralization of library affairs in Russia and for the introduction of the Swiss-American system." The Narkompros was asked to submit monthly reports to the SNK on the results of this work.